NEWS

Photo Note: To download a photo of Poarch, see the end of the release.

Public safety selected for national award recognizing community policing excellence

CHAPEL HILL -- The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and ITT Industries Night Vision have selected the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Public Safety to receive a major national award for its community policing efforts.

UNC’s program was chosen for the 2003 Community Policing Award among agencies serving 20,001 to 50,000 people. Four other agencies were named winners for different population size categories. The competition attracted more than 94 entries from U.S. communities and agencies as well as 23 international agencies. UNC was one of two finalists for the same honor in 2002.

The university’s selection came "because it is obvious you have championed positive change in your department and community by adopting a community policing philosophy," according to a recent letter UNC Police Chief Derek Poarch received from Gary Kempker, chairman of the IACP Community Policing Committee, and Larry Curfiss, vice president and director of business development for ITT Industries Night Vision.

Poarch will attend the IACP’s annual conference Oct. 21-25 in Philadelphia. He and the UNC department’s work will be featured in a community policing workshop for association members. He also will be honored at the group’s annual banquet.

Community-oriented policing is a top priority for the UNC public safety department, whose 187 full-time employees manage policing, parking and transportation commuting matters for the university’s students, faculty and staff.

Community policing, along with recent initiatives in areas including larceny reduction, commuter alternatives and pedestrian safety, has helped distinguish the work of UNC’s public safety department, Poarch said. The larceny reduction effort alone cut the number of reported larceny crimes by nearly 30 percent – almost twice the program’s original goal.

"This award is a tribute to the hard work of dedicated police officers and staff who have effectively engaged our campus community over the past several years in a productive partnership that has reduced and prevented crime and encouraged cooperation," Poarch said.

"Our collective efforts within the Carolina community have improved the quality of life for everyone when it comes to safety," he said. "We are proud for this recognition at a national level and for what it says about our ongoing goal of being the best public safety department in the country."

UNC’s public safety department is one of only 30 college and university public safety agencies in the country that are accredited. It is the only university department in North Carolina to have earned that honor from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. The UNC department was reaccredited in 2000, a distinction that will be renewed for a second time in November.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/poarch_derek.jpg

Note: Gary Kempker, chairman of the IACP Community Policing Committee, is receptive to calls from reporters about the UNC award and this competition. He can be reached at (573) 526-6607. Poarch can be reached at (919) 966-5730.

News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu